In southern England, local residents voted for a stock transfer from the local authority and established a vibrant and innovative housing association in 2000. The association owns and manages more than 10,000 properties, including about 7000 rented properties, 3000 leasehold properties and 500 retirement housing properties.
Throughout our involvement with the association, we undertook
EDP also provided independent consultancy services, supporting the client with its legal duties under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
We provided general guidance on the client’s asbestos-related responsibilities regarding the repair and planned building work. We attended meetings with the client’s representatives, including assisting them in the consultation process with employees and others affected by the work. We reviewed asbestos policy and management plans, governance structure and processes.
Additionally, we reviewed the client’s asbestos risk register and advised on the remediation requirements to manage or remove asbestos. We assisted in procuring and managing licensed asbestos removal contractors, including reviewing applicants’ technical competencies, their operational processes and methods and qualifications.
As a result of our effective contract management, technical capability and effective liaison, we continue to successfully deliver projects on time and to budget. We have introduced various procedures into our service delivery model to ensure successful delivery of this contract.
From the outset, owing to the number of surveys, the work necessitated detailed management to handle the data volume accumulated from the surveys. We adopted a system using technology to drive efficiency and reduce manual handling of the information returning from site.
Working with our software providers, we received reinspection data and various survey requests and uploaded this information to our cloud-based alpha tracker data capture and reporting tool, sending these data to our surveyors’ phones and tablets. The survey teams synchronised the data to the alpha tracker with drawn building plans using a drawing app before dropping the samples off at the local laboratory for analysis. Results were fed into the alpha tracker.
Using this technology reduced manual handling and ensured an efficient service, underpinned by setting the work scope and highlighting limitation early so that EDP and the client understood the project detail.
Because of the nature of this work, projects can often include managed responses for emergency and short notice surveys. This includes in multiple and high-density buildings with complex and challenging security, safety and access issues. To overcome potential challenges, our management team is available 24/7 to deliver a responsive and flexible emergency response.
